Palestinian artist Saint Levant delays tour amid US visa complications

What the report says

Palestinian singer-songwriter Marwan Abdelhamid, known as Saint Levant, has postponed the North American leg of his debut tour after saying he faced major problems with his U.S. visa. In an Instagram post cited by Al Jazeera, Abdelhamid said his visa had initially been approved but that he was later asked to complete additional background checks as his tour dates neared. After consulting his legal team and speaking with other Palestinian and Arab artists who had encountered similar issues, he said he decided to delay the concerts until spring 2027.

Al Jazeera reported that the 41-date tour was intended to be his largest headline project so far, with performances planned across North America, Europe and the Middle East, including stops in Los Angeles, Brooklyn and Detroit. The artist’s tour was also meant to support his second album, AFANDI, released on August 21.

The postponement comes amid broader disruption to international touring as visa processing and immigration rules in the United States become more restrictive under President Donald Trump’s second term. Al Jazeera noted that some artists have canceled U.S. dates altogether, while others say the legal and administrative burden of visas can make touring too expensive. The report placed Saint Levant’s case alongside recent examples involving other musicians, and said critics have argued that visa and immigration actions have been used against pro-Palestinian voices. Abdelhamid, who was born in Jerusalem and often writes about Palestinian identity and displacement, has built much of his music around those themes.